Usually when I talk about politics, it is usually in the context of some media, but the murder of George Floyd, the countless injustices that have lead to these revolutions, and the standing up to corrupt power, begs some sort of response.
I find in moments like these, I need to listen. I have heard some brilliant, compassionate, good perspectives, and I have heard some tone-deaf, ugly perspectives as well. I figured that the best I can do as a privileged white CIS male is to forward some media to you that might help people understand the history and roots of why we all need to speak out against white supremacy.
First, here is a website called 8 minutes 46 seconds. That is the amount of time an officer of the law took to murder George Floyd. Please note that while the website only displays text, it is still something that is emotionally hard to deal with and process.
Second, Your Black Friend by Ben Passmore should be a required text at this point. It is about the life experience of a black person in America, and what they have to deal with day to day. Here is a youtube video as well that was made from the same material (I recommend supporting both).
Third, græ by Moses Sumney is a music album that is incredibly deep and beautiful, but this lyric from the song boxes really struck a chord with me:
I truly believe that people who define you control you
And the most significant thing that any person can do
But especially black women and men
Is to think about who gave them their definitions
And rewrite those definition for themselves
It is so important that we question the assumptions that the culture has laid upon us, and break the chains of ignorance, and this album helps us do that.
Lastly, The Dollop podcast by Dave Anthony and Gareth Reynolds is a bit different than the first three, as they try to make the tragedy and foolishness of history humorous. It is more important now than ever to hear about American history and how it led to this moment. I find that their sarcastic gallows humor allows me to process it without going crazy, or falling into a deep depression. I would recommend going through it yourself, but here are some episodes that relate to how we got here today: Oregon and the Ku Klux Klan, Boston Busing 1974, and Donald Trump (part one).
